The Genre's Gold Standard

Rating: 8/10 (25 March 2015)

If I were reviewing this title exclusively in the context of the zombie or post-apocalyptic genres, it would be an easy 10/10. 28 Days Later is the most believable, well produced, and well acted film in the genre by a mile (the closest competitor being 28 Weeks) which earns it an 8 in the larger scope of cinema in general.
In my opinion, the entire zombie genre should model itself after the type of believable "infection" seen in 28 Days. The worst thing about this film is that it somewhat ruins the rest of the genre for the viewer. You are left wondering about glaring plot holes in the "undead" variant of zombie flick such as: how difficult could it really be to escape zombies doing 2 feet a minute or less? How does the infection spread if the undead simply eat their victims whole? If the brain is the only part of the body responsible for animation (as in Walking Dead, for example), how do the undead move about without functioning circulatory systems, etc.? 28 Days Later doesn't have any of these physiological plot holes nor does it suffer from a situation where the lead actors are more deadpan than the zombies.